Trials & Tribulations
by fabrayberries
Summary: Rachel is head Cheerio and Quinn is a wholesome Christian girl. The two are on opposite sides of the totem pole but need each other more than they know. Can Rachel be Quinn's guide and can Quinn be Rachel's life preserver?
1. Mockingbird

**Trials & Tribulations**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I'm simply having a little fun with them._

**Summary: **_Rachel Berry is the epitome of perfect. Well, in the eyes of her fellow McKinley peers she is. In truth, Rachel thinks of herself as anything but perfect but admitting that would be social suicide. Meanwhile, Quinn Fabray stays behind the scenes. She comes from a 'bible thumping' family and is the president of McKinley's chastity club. Quinn is trying to find her way in the world and Rachel is just trying to stay afloat. Can Rachel be Quinn's guide and can Quinn be Rachel's life preserver?_

**Chapter One: Mockingbird**

Quinn Fabray had always believed in God. She could not remember a time when she _hadn't_. His doing had been imbedded into her brain from a very young age, she was sure she had not even been potty trained before she attended a bible study for the first time. Her routine throughout her young childhood had been simple yet thorough; wake up, be presentable, go to school, bible study, homework, dinner, bedtime prayer, sleep. The blonde had never known anything else and neither had the children who her parents let her associate with. They all had similar upbringings and up until her freshman year of high school, Quinn Fabray had thought she understood the ways of the world. Needless to say, going to McKinley was a serious culture shock. It wasn't like her old school, where everyone was the same religion and went to mass on the same days and worshipped Him in similar ways. Some of the kids at McKinley didn't even _go_ to church. The mere thought of being deprived of something so fulfilling made Quinn cringe. She actually cringed away from the person and then tried to laugh it off with them, but needless to say she never spoke to that girl again. Her parents wouldn't like it if she mingled with those sorts of people. That's why they were so thrilled when she joined the chastity club. Quinn didn't bother mentioning that half of the girls in the club couldn't tell Jesus from Zach Galifianakis and were only a part of the group to tease their respective boyfriends. It was a tad awkward during meetings when most of the girls just wanted to gossip about their boyfriends and how insane they were going from the sex deprivation. That was seriously _not_ what chastity club was supposed to be about.

Another thing that Quinn Fabray was still to this very day confused about, was sex. What was so great about sex? She had heard about it enough to get a simple gist of the entire process and it sounded unpleasant and downright disturbing. The blonde was lost in her own thoughts as she stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her bible was resting on her chest as she mulled over the passage she had just read. She was behind on her bible study assignment, something that her mother would scold her for if she found out, so she was trying to catch up and study for her AP US History test at the same time. The passage, Romans 8:28, had given her pause. It was as if Quinn was looking to the heavens for her silent inquiry.

_And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  
Romans 8:28_

Quinn understood the passage quite well, she understood that everything happened for a reason and that God was all knowing. But that didn't mean _she_ was all knowing. In fact, Quinn was much like a blind baby rabbit who had not yet found her way in the world. Her sister, Amanda, was living in Columbus with her husband of a year and a half. She was a carbon copy of Quinn's own mother, the perfect stepford wife. Quinn was certain that she wasn't cut out for that lifestyle, no matter what her parents might think. She couldn't cook to save her life (except bacon and cereal), and she hated cleaning with a burning passion. So the question that was burning in Quinn's mind was not one she had never dwelled on before.

"What is my purpose?" Quinn's soft voice penetrated the silence of her room as she continued to stare at her bland ceiling. The blonde wasn't sure if she would ever truly get an answer.

* * *

Rachel Berry was seeing red. Not in the metaphorical sense like bloodthirsty warriors experienced during combat, but actually seeing red. The gymnasium of William McKinley High School was packed with over seven hundred students, plus faculty members. The entire gym was garbed in red and black and most students had even made an attempt to show their school spirit and cheer for the approaching football game. That was one of the best things about being a Cheerio, being one of the reasons why everyone was smiling and cheering. The McKinley football team sucked and everyone knew it, but seeing the Cheerios perform was a treat for all. Granted, the skimpy outfits may have horded in most of the male student body, but Rachel liked to think that the positive atmosphere made everyone stick around. Who cares if you could see a patch of red spanks every once in a while? As the Cheerios finished their last routine the gym erupted in applause and the childish stomping of feet from some of the football players, all sporting their red jerseys for the occasion. Rachel noticed Noah, her boyfriend of four months and resident McKinley bad boy, leering at her bare legs while trying to hold up a conversation with David Karofsky. The short brunette threw him a glare before following Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce over to the seats reserved for the Cheerios. The other two cheerleaders were the closest thing to best friends that Rachel had ever had, though calling Santana a friend was reaching. The Latina only tolerated her because Rachel was captain and because Brittany insisted that Rachel be their 'third musketeer'.

"_You can't have just two musketeers, San. That's just…what's that word you used earlier Rach?" Brittany's whimsical voice questioned. _

"_Unnatural and absurd," Rachel lightly informed the endearing blonde. _

"_Yeah, it's obscure San!" Brittany then went on to pull out her best puppy dog face._

"_Fine, if you really want the hobbit to be in our group then she can be. I don't care anymore." Santana practically growled before leaving both girls to cut in front of a long lunch line. _

_Brittany had went on to high five Rachel, something the brunette found both embarrassing and adorable, before bouncing off to join Santana. No one even complained when Brittany cut in front of them, that'd be like kicking a puppy._

"Move your ass, Rachel." Santana's annoyed tone penetrated Rachel's flashback.

"Language, Santana. We are in the presence of faculty members." Rachel chastised in a hushed tone as she eyed a miffed looking Miss Doosenbury.

"What's wrong with her language? Were you speaking Spanish again San?" Brittany questioned in bemusement as she twisted the small plastic cap on her water bottle.

Rachel's eyes pinched slightly but she decided to let Santana explain, she was far too drained from the previous performance anyways. Principle Figgins was rambling on about the importance of good sportsmanship, which was basically his way of saying _'even though we're going to get our asses kicked, we should smile through it'_. Rachel quickly tuned out everything around her, even her two friends' talk of Noah's upcoming party. Noah was always throwing parties, he had just had one two Saturdays ago and it bad been a complete disaster. She had felt obligated to attend since she was dating the host but after the police had broken down Noah's front door Rachel hadn't been too keen on the idea of attending _anybody's_ house party.

The pep rally had been held during the last period of the day and Rachel decided to head down to the Cheerios' locker room to take a much needed shower before heading home for the day. Noah had been eyeing her like a dog in heat all throughout the rally and she didn't feel like convincing him to not follow her home and make use of her bed until her dads got home. She simply told him that she was going to shower and that she'd text him later before slipping through the masses and making her way down the emptying halls of McKinley. The showers in the Cheerios locker room were a thousand times better than the showers in the girls' locker room that was used for gym and other girl sport purposes. The shiny showerheads even rivaled Rachel's shower at home. So it wasn't uncommon for the brunette to dally in the showers, though she had never really lost track of time before. As her now pruned fingers turned off the showerhead, her left hand reached blindly for her nearby towel. She made sure it was securely wrapped around her frame before venturing out where the actual lockers were. She had learned her lesson about walking out naked into the open. Jacob Ben Israel, a creepy and sleazy boy who ran the McKinley newspaper, had been stationed just outside of the showers one day after a hard Cheerios practice and had caught Rachel in her birthday suit. The boy would've gotten away with the picture he had taken if he hadn't fainted. So now Rachel made sure her most delicate regions were covered, even though Jacob had been threatened within an inch of his life by Coach Sylvester and even Noah.

Jacob was only one of the downfalls of being placed on an insanely high pedestal. She could handle creepy little perverts who wanted a peek of boob, but Rachel did not do well with criticism. It was something she had been trying to work on since freshman year but it was still a work in progress. Teenagers were cruel and they gossiped, and Rachel had learned that those two qualities did not mix well together. The first big rumor that had started floating around about her happened two days after she was made captain of the squad in the fall of sophomore year. Apparently everyone had been convinced that Rachel and Finn Hudson, resident golden boy and quarterback, had hooked up at a party and Rachel had gotten an abortion over the summer. The rumor was so random yet so ruthless that the brunette had left school early and cried in her room while her fathers tried to coax her out. Coach Sylvester and Santana had put a stop to the rumors through a myriad of threats (and maybe some actual beat downs on Santana's side), but Rachel knew that she could never react to a rumor like that again. She was in a position of power now. The Cheerios were world renowned (well not world but they were pretty damn good), and Rachel was their new shining leader. If even one of the envious girls on the bottom of the pyramid smelled fear they would all attack like starved piranhas. So Rachel built walls, she built walls so high that no one would ever be able to tear her down.

* * *

"San?" Brittany asked in a whisper, her chin leaning on the Latina's shoulder.

"Yeah Britt?" Santana was semi distracted, her turkey sandwich demanding most of her attention at the moment.

"Do you ever think Rachel gets lonely?" Brittany wondered with wide eyes.

Santana's dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment before smoothing out, her shoulder's shrugging. She was used to Brittany's weird and completely random inquiries. Yesterday the blonde had asked her if the sky and the ocean were cousins since she had heard from one of the other Cheerios that the sky made the ocean blue. The two were sitting next to each other, barely two inches between the two as they ate their lunch off the same tray. Brittany was eating half of Santana's sandwich since she didn't like her own turkey sandwich. Santana didn't have the heart to be angry about it, Brittany had said that Santana's stuff always tasted better. Santana would just make sure she scarfed down Brittany's sandwich when the blonde wasn't looking. They were seated at the Cheerios' lunch table, which had somehow been dubbed as the popular table since all the jocks decided to take it upon themselves to seat themselves at or around the table. Santana subtly eyed Rachel, the girl didn't look lonely. She was seated next to Puck, the boy's muscular arm slung over the short brunette's shoulder in a possessive manner.

"I don't think she's lonely, Britt-Britt. She has Puck, remember?" Santana reminded the blonde gently, a loving tone creeping into her voice.

"Yeah but they're totally just bed buddies, it's so obvious." Brittany said in exasperation.

Santana's eyebrows furrowed again and she glanced at Rachel again. She knew the girl was a good actress (even though she wouldn't be caught dead feeding the dwarf's ego with the compliment), but she didn't think the girl was _that_ good. Rachel seemed completely at ease, laughing at some joke that Puck had just spewed from his cheddar cheese covered mouth.

"What makes you think that, Britt?" Santana asked after she failed at pinpointing anything amiss. Rachel and Puck had been the 'it' couple for the last few months and it didn't look like there were any troubles in paradise yet. Though Santana gave it another month before Puck slipped up and shoved his little Puckasauras somewhere it shouldn't be.

"Well Puck has awesome hair and he's an awesome kisser and all but…he and Rachel are so not compatible. Y'know how we're like ketchup and eggs, San? We just click like that. But Puck and Rachel are like letters and math. That stuff just doesn't look right." Brittany explained before taking a long sip of her Capri Sun.

Santana choked back a small laugh at the blonde's comparisons but she couldn't help but agree with her. First off, ketchup and eggs together were fuckmazing (yes, fuckmazing). Second, Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry just didn't click. The only thing that they had in common was their Jewish heritage. And maybe their love for sex but the mere thought of them doing the dirty made Santana want to throw up her turkey sandwich.

"I'm sure Rachel can handle herself, Britt. If she ever wants to get rid of Puck she can just nag him to death," Santana said with a laugh. Her laugh was cut short as Brittany gave her a disapproving look before stealing the rest of her turkey sandwich.

* * *

Rachel's legs were already burning from the exertion of prancing around for an hour without sitting down for a break. No matter how hard the Cheerios cheered the Titans were still getting their asses kicked without even fighting back. Finn had gotten sacked three times already and Coach Bieste was foaming at the mouth. She was the new football coach and she was supposed to be the Sue Sylvester of the game, but even she needed more than three weeks to whip the team into shape for a win. Rachel had just watched Puck get tackled by two huge guys from the opposing team. She felt an inkling of worry blossoming in her stomach as Puck butted helmets with one of the guys and the referee blew his whistle before anything serious could happen. Puck looked like he was about to bite the ref's head off but he luckily thought better of it and just limped off the field to sit down and nurse his injured leg.

"So stupid," Rachel breathed under her breath.

"I don't know what you see in him. I mean I know he has a huge penis but…" Santana said as she rested her pom-pom clad hands on her hips. Rachel threw a venomous glare at her before growling lowly and turning away from the smirking Latina.

"Noah and I actually have a lot of things in common." Rachel lied smoothly, raising her chin in the air haughtily.

"Yeah, Hanukah." Santana murmured. Brittany giggled but nudged an aggravated Rachel playfully.

"Don't worry about Santana, Rach. She's just worried about your loneliness." Brittany said in a sing song voice.

Both of Rachel's eyebrows raised, a bemused expression flashing across her face. She was used to some really random things coming out of Brittany's mouth. The girl was a little out there sometimes but Rachel had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't one of those times. The nervous look on Santana's face was a dead giveaway that something was going on that she wasn't aware of.

"What do you mean Britt?" Rachel asked slowly. She was almost scared to ask but she had always been a curious creature by nature.

"She doesn't mean anything," Santana snapped in annoyance before linking her pinky with Brittany's. "C'mon Britt-Britt, let's go get some PowerAde."

Brittany was completely distracted now and bounced alongside Santana as if the tense situation had never occurred. Rachel stared after her two friends in suspicion as Brittany went on about how she hoped there was still some blue PowerAde left. Rachel turned back to the game, huffing at the sheer rudeness of her friends. During halftime, Rachel was doing some much needed stretches, using one of the metal benches as leverage. Santana and Brittany had disappeared, using the ten minute reprieve to most likely fondle each other under the bleachers. Puck was watching Rachel lecherously, not even paying attention to Coach Bieste's tirade about how much they were screwing up. Rachel managed to roll her eyes at him before she saw something…intriguing. A group of girls were walking onto the bleachers, most likely just showing up and looking for a place to sit. Among those girls was someone that Rachel recognized quite well. The eggshell blue sundress with the white cardigan over top. Only one person would wear something so frilly to a football game, and that was Quinn Fabray. It was abnormal to see Quinn at a football game, it was similar to seeing a dog walking on its hind legs. Quinn Fabray was the president of the chastity club (Rachel had cringed when she heard such a thing existed), and belonged to a family of righteous Christians. Rachel was almost surprised to see that Quinn was bible free. Rachel didn't realize she was openly staring at the girl until hazel eyes penetrated her. The hairs on the black of the brunette's neck stood on end as Quinn looked away and took a seat next to her friends.

"Berry!" Sylvester's voice almost made Rachel fall over.

She managed to catch herself and then stared in her coach's direction like a deer caught in headlights. Sylvester didn't even give Rachel a chance to call back to her, she just nodded towards the bleachers.

"Go get JLO and Spears, halftime is almost up." Sylvester ordered.

Rachel nodded jerkily, adjusting her ponytail before making her way towards the bleachers. She could've swore she felt a pair of hazel eyes following her every move.

* * *

"Did you see the way Finn molested that poor girl's face?" Santana cackled over lunch the following Monday.

Rachel grumbled into her vegan friendly pasta as she speared a noodle with her fork and popped it into her mouth. Brittany was stroking Santana's hair lovingly, squealing happily every time the Latina hand fed the girl a grape. Rachel wanted to throw up at the PDA but she knew it was just some sort of deep rooted jealousy swirling in the pit of her stomach. Santana and Brittany were perfect for each other. It was almost absurd how they were allowed to find each other so early on in their lives and Rachel was just…stuck. Sure Noah was great in bed but his redeeming qualities ended there. Rachel watched as her boyfriend sat a little further down the table, laughing loudly and tossing limp French fries at a constipated looking Finn Hudson. Rachel glared at the oafish boy; ever since the game last Friday she had been way more annoyed with the quarterback. Somehow Finn had gotten his head into the game after halftime and ended up scoring the fucking winning touchdown. The scoreboard changed so quickly that Rachel almost experienced whiplash. After the victory Rachel was busy giggling while Puck hoisted her over his shoulder and therefore took a little while to notice that there was indeed a reason why Quinn Fabray had showed up at her first football game. She came to support _Finnept_.

Normally the brunette would not stoop so low as to use the play-on-word nicknames that the Cheerios had dubbed Finn with, but after seeing the giant ogre forcing his nasty chapped lips on Quinn she had become a lot more hostile towards the boy. It was blatantly obvious that Quinn did not want to be touched in that way. She was the president of the _chastity club_, for fuck's sake. The news of Finn's taken status hit Jacob's blog by Saturday evening. Needless to say, Rachel had been in a sour mood since then. Did she like Finn? Maybe there had been something hidden away for a while that had finally broken loose after she saw Finn in the arms of another girl. But wouldn't Rachel be mad at Quinn if she liked Finn? Plus Finn wasn't even on her attractive radar. He was neck and neck with Jacob, actually.

A green grape hit Rachel square in the nose, causing fork to slip out of her grasp and clatter onto the lunch table. The brunette blinked owlishly three times before glaring at a smirking Santana and an amused looking Brittany.

"Earth to Rachel," Brittany said airily.

Rachel's glare softened slightly as she turned to look at Brittany. No one could glare at Brittany, no one could even _breathe_ at the girl in the wrong way without feeling some sort of guilt afterwards. Those big blue eyes were weapons of mass destruction.

"You were totally spacing out Berry. Thinking about your congratulatory night with Puck still?" Santana picked up another grape, this time opting to pop it into Brittany's eager mouth.

Rachel fixed her icy glare back on Santana, saluting the girl with her middle finger when Brittany's eyes were no longer looking in her direction. Santana returned the gesture but was unluckily caught by Brittany, who did not look pleased.

"San, just because you didn't use your words doesn't mean that didn't hurt Rach's feelings." Brittany chastised softly.

Rachel smiled smugly at an upset Santana before turning her attention back to Brittany who had a small pout on her face as she and Santana shared a mental conversation. It was almost weird how in sync the two were. Rachel could feel the swirls of jealousy developing in her stomach again.

"Anyways. I'm honestly surprised Finn managed to pull Quinn. I heard that she's got an electric fence over her underwear." Santana snickered.

"Don't be absurd, Santana. I'm sure she's dated before, she just knows how to keep things a secret." Rachel sniffed, throwing a pointed glare at the almost empty bag of grapes that the Latina had been feeding Brittany all through lunch.

"You guys shouldn't talk about Quinn unless you have her permission." The blonde declared adamantly, her face now a mask of disapproval.

Santana and Rachel both gave Brittany bemused looks before glancing at each other. Santana shrugged at Rachel's quizzical look before her gaze flickered back over to Brittany.

"Why is that Britt-Britt? We talk about people all the time. It's sort of what we do." Santana pointed out.

Brittany shrugged as she popped the last two grapes into her mouth. It looked like she wasn't going to explain so Rachel was about to just discard the whole conversation, already picking up her fork to at least attempt to finish half of her lunch before it was time to leave for the next period.

"Quinn is my neighbor. I had always wanted to play with her when we were little but her parents are like super mean. Well, her dad is at least. Anyways, I talk to her here and there and she's literally the most innocent thing ever. Like Bambi or something. I'm almost sure that was her first kiss ever on Friday." Brittany stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Rachel and Santana were leaning forward towards Brittany, hanging onto the blonde's every word. "And she might seem kind of bitchy because she doesn't talk to anyone but she's actually really cool. She just maybe doesn't have a lot of stuff to say, y'know? Almost like how people find Rachel annoying for having _too_ much stuff to say." Brittany ignored Santana's cackle but Rachel threw her an icy glare. "But she gets talked about a lot, even though she's never at parties and stuff. Every guy on the football team likes her because she's pretty but she's too smart for the hooking up thing. I just don't want you guys to talk about her too. She's like Bambi's mom or that little mockingbird in that one book we read last year." Brittany finished before stealing the rest of Santana's forgotten chocolate milk.

Rachel stared down at her pasta, a lump building in her throat. She didn't even bother pointing out Brittany's literal use of a mockingbird, because she knew what the girl was talking about. She was honestly surprised that the blonde had even remembered the book, although Rachel had helped the girl try to comprehend it since Santana didn't even bother reading it. Brittany's words rang through Rachel's head as she picked quietly at her food, no longer having much of an appetite. From the corner of her eye, Rachel could see Quinn's lunch table. She was sitting with other members of the chastity club, though Quinn seemed to be distancing herself from the conversation. Rachel took in the girl's simple jeans and the white blouse she was wearing before a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

It was an odd way of looking at Quinn Fabray, but Rachel could understand why Brittany would think of the girl as a mockingbird.

* * *

**A/N: **_Alright this is my first attempt at fanfiction and I literally scoured through this entire thing four times before I thought it was semi decent. The whole mockingbird thing that Brittany is talking about is from a book called To Kill A Mockingbird which is going to be referred to here and there throughout this story. Feel free to tell me what you think!_


	2. Autumn Leaves

**Trials & Tribulations**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I'm simply having a little fun with them._

**Chapter Two: Autumn Leaves**

The rush of adrenaline was coursing through Rachel's veins as her legs kept a steady pace on her elliptical. Sweat was collecting on her brow and her ponytail was swishing from side to side as her legs kept pumping. She only had three minutes and forty-five seconds left before she would have to stop her workout and then continue with the rest of her usual morning routine. It was a routine that Rachel had been sticking to since her fathers had gotten her the work out machine the summer before freshman year. Rachel had expressed the necessity of getting used to working out for at least twenty minutes every morning if she wanted to be in tip-top condition for Cheerios. When the small timer on the machine went off, Rachel hit the off button and allowed the machine to turn off before hopping off and immediately stripping out of her workout clothes. After an invigorating shower, Rachel went through the process of putting on her Cheerios uniform and fixing her hair into its usual trademark high ponytail. She was so used to the tightness of the ponytail that if it was even a little bit loose she would adjust it immediately. It had been the source of her numerous headaches during her freshman year, but now it was a part of her everyday life. She couldn't imagine going to school in anything else. After Rachel had laced up her white tennis shoes she bounded out of her room with her backpack in her hand and her keys in the other. Due to her late start (5:30 instead of the usual 5:25), Rachel was opting to skip over breakfast with her dads so she wouldn't be late to the mandatory morning Cheerios practice.

"At least take an apple or something!" Hiram, or daddy, demanded.

Leroy, or dad, was simply watching his little girl and his husband bicker while sipping on his morning coffee and skimming over a crossword book.

"I probably won't even eat it, that'd be a complete waste." Rachel pointed out as she fiddled with her electronic key pad. It was nearing 6:15 and it would take at least ten minutes to get to school and practice started at 6:30. Her daddy did not realize that he was potentially putting his little angel in mortal danger.

"Leroy, talk to your daughter!" Hiram cried dramatically, already turning away to continue the breakfast he had slaved over for fifteen whole minutes. Honestly, he was so underappreciated sometimes.

Rachel turned to look at her dad, raising her eyebrows when she saw that he wasn't even paying attention to the mess in front of him. The man was tapping the eraser on top of his pencil against his coffee mug as he stared down at the puzzle in front of him.

"Princess, what's a four letter word for scheme, starts with an R?" Leroy finally asked.

Rachel smiled as her daddy threw his oven mitten clad hands up in the air before taking one off and smacking his husband in the back of the head with it. Rachel was too busy jumping at the opportunity to make a hasty departure to giggle at the expression on her daddy's face.

"Ruse," Rachel answered easily. Leroy's brown eyes brightened as he bent down to write the word down while Hiram grumbled under his breath and banged some pots against the stove.

Taking this as her exit ticket, Rachel pecked both of her fathers on the cheek before making a beeline for the front door. When she got into the entrance hall, she could hear her dad consoling her daddy with sweet words and she smiled to herself as she left out of the front door and braced herself for the chilly autumn morning.

* * *

Rachel's eyes pinched in annoyance the second she approached her locker. Noah and Finn were right down the hall, talking conspiratorially with one another. Their heads were close and Rachel could clearly see her boyfriend's devilish smirk in full force. The sight made her extremely uneasy, especially when Noah caught her eye and his devilish grin turned into a shameless leer. Rachel scoffed and then spun her combination before letting her locker door swing open. She grabbed her Chemistry textbook and the spiral notebook she used for Spanish. She didn't know why she even bothered showing up to Spanish, she had been taking it for three years and already knew more than the current teacher; Mr. Schuester. He was an awesome singer and he was doing Glee Club wonders, but the only Spanish culture he knew was Taco Bell. Santana usually skipped his class, only because she thought the entire thing was a huge joke. It was one of the few things she and the Latina agreed on. Rachel still liked making an appearance in class though since it showed good character. The brunette was just about ready to make her way towards U.S. History when her locker was slammed shut, her fingers almost getting caught in the process. She bared her teeth at an oblivious Noah. The boy even had the nerve to _still_ be smirking at her.

"Hello my hot Jew Queen, how are you this fine morning?" His voice was undoubtedly attractive, suave and dark and just…ugh. Rachel hated him for being so damn attractive with the mohawk and the white smile and the tan skin. Damn Noah Puckerman to Hell.

"I told you to stop calling me that Noah! I am not the Jew Queen and you are definitely not the Jew King." Rachel said hotly, clutching her books to her chest and calculating how far she would get if she turned around and just ran for it. The hallways were already starting to empty as students made their way to their respective classes.

Noah probably hadn't even been to his first class of the day at all yet since he was always late or just skipping. The boy managed to put on a mask of mock hurt before it fell away and he pressed both palms against the lockers, cornering Rachel like a wolf would his dinner. The mere thought made Rachel shiver. She was sure that it was more from arousal than anything else, a realization that made her mentally chastise herself.

"I'm definitely the king, babe. And since you're my girl that makes you queen by default."

Rachel glared at her cocky boyfriend and made an unintelligible noise in the back of her throat before slipping under his muscular arms, finally free from the suffocating position. She had two minutes before the late bell rang and her U.S. History class wasn't exactly close by.

"You're more like the court jester, baby." Rachel corrected the boy with a small smirk on her face. She turned on her heel while Noah stood there, still leaning against her locker and wondering what the hell a court jester was.

* * *

Puck and Rachel were so wrapped up in their own little bubble that they didn't notice a hazel eyed blonde staring at them as she made her way towards her U.S. History class. Quinn and Rachel were in the same class, though Rachel had never seemed to take note of it. Quinn was wondering if the brunette would miss class for the first time ever, because the way she and Puck were looking at each other made it seem as if they would need a little 'alone' time. Not wanting to be caught looking, the blonde ducked her head and picked up her pace. When she got to her destination she slipped into her usual seat next to Tina Cohen-Chang. Quinn was still a little on edge after the dumb Finn incident at last Friday's game. It felt like _everyone_ was giving her weird looks now and she could've swore some of the girls in chastity club were gossiping about her yesterday before she showed up to the meeting. Finn had apologized, claiming that he had gotten really worked up after the win and just needed to let loose. Quinn didn't categorize that as an actual apology but Finn was too sweet to actually mean any harm so she had grudgingly told him it was okay. How could she not when he asked her if she still wanted to be his girlfriend? He had given her this really bad constipated look (which she had learned was his puppy dog face), and she didn't have the heart to say no. She didn't know how the relationship had even unfolded. Finn and his mom attended mass one evening and Finn and Quinn's father, Russell, had started talking about Ohio State football or something. Russell had been dropping hints about how good of a match Finn would be for his daughter.

That just showed Quinn that her father knew absolutely nothing about her. She and Finn had nothing in common; all the boy knew was football and superheroes. Trying to hold a conversation that lasted more than two minutes with the boy was exhausting all in itself. Basically Quinn was now turning into her sister Amanda; she had allowed her father to control her love life. The thought was daunting and weighing on Quinn's conscience as she took out her U.S. History textbook and started to dig through her bag for a pen or pencil. Due to her search, Quinn wasn't able to see Rachel slip into the classroom right before the late bell rang. The blonde looked up just in time to see the Cheerio slipping into her seat next to Mercedes Jones. Quinn couldn't help but notice how distracted and slightly flustered the brunette looked and she silently wondered if it had anything to do with what she saw earlier with Puck. The thought of the mohawk-clad boy made Quinn's skin crawl. He was the biggest pervert in the school, save for Jacob Ben Israel, and Quinn could not even begin to fathom why Rachel was seeing him. Maybe she didn't know that her boyfriend had plowed through two-thirds of the female student body?

Quinn's attention was demanded immediately as Mr. Franklin started his monotonous lecture about the Gettysburg Address. Her chin rested in the palm of her hand as she stared through Mr. Franklin and at the blackboard behind the shorter-than-average man. Tina, who was usually just as studious as Quinn herself, was dozing off while Mr. Franklin started to talk about Abraham Lincoln as a whole. Hazel eyes drifted around the room, a spark of amusement lighting them as she noted how a lot of students were falling asleep. Quinn's gaze landed on Rachel and she cracked a small smile when she saw that the girl was actually taking notes on Mr. Franklin's lecture.

After the class was over Quinn quickly collected her belongings and made her way out of the room like the rest of the students, some shuffling slower than others due to their recent nap. Quinn needed to get to her locker before English because she had left her composition book in her locker, which probably meant she was running the risk of being late to class. So as Quinn carefully but quickly spun the combination on her locker, she did not notice the three Cheerios who were approaching her. Quinn didn't really interact with Cheerios so she assumed that when she saw the swishing of red pleats that some Cheerios were passing by her. Quinn had retrieved her composition book and was about to close her locker when it closed all by itself. Hazel eyes pinched in mild annoyance as she spun around to see three smirking Cheerios. She didn't recognize them, unable to actually put names to faces. Quinn raised her chin in the air a fraction, a defense mechanism she had learned from her older sister.

"Can I help you with something?" The blonde asked in a clipped tone, her hazel eyes narrowing as the Cheerios' smirks turned to sneers.

"Yeah, you can get lost and leave Finn alone." The one in the front, obviously the leader of this little trio, said in an obnoxious voice.

All three had the trademark high ponytails that all Cheerios were required to wear but they all had varying hair colors. The one who was standing in front was a redhead and Quinn could even see a splash of freckles over her nose. She tried to put a name to the face but she came up blank and decided that it'd be best to get away from all three of them if she wanted to avoid trouble. One thing that Quinn had managed to do throughout her high school life was avoid trouble. No one ever bothered her, except the occasional boy, and she was unused to the mocking taunts of Cheerios. She didn't let them get to her though, she was a Fabray and she was going to hold her ground.

"I don't think that's _any_ of your business Freckles, so why don't you run along with your friends and leave me alone," Quinn's tone was turning icy and she could feel her shoulders tensing up. The redhead looked taken aback by the sudden change in the blonde but she didn't let it throw her off too much.

"Listen here you bible thumper, Finn Hudson doesn't need to be dating some prissy prude and I sincerely hope that you take this conversation into consideration the next time you see him because there are other girls out there who are way more vicious than us, ones who want Finn Hudson a lot more than we do." Freckles warned in a low tone.

Quinn never backed down, though the words the girl had said made a small shiver run down her spine. Freckle's two friends brushed pass Quinn, following their redheaded leader like little puppy dogs. One of them, the tallest and the one with sandy brown hair, bumped Quinn into the locker by 'accident' before the red pleats disappeared around a corner and Quinn was left standing in front of her locker in a daze. Had that really just happened? Did she just get threatened because of a _boy_? Quinn was so lost in her own world that she didn't notice another three pairs of eyes on her from down the hall.

Rachel Berry's brown orbs watched Quinn like a hawk as the blonde sighed deeply and then turned in the opposite direction for her English class, her composition book held protectively against her chest.

* * *

She had seen the entire thing, and now Rachel Berry was fuming. She was positively _livid_. The way Jessica had gotten all up in Quinn's face about something and then how Francine had actually pushed Quinn against her locker was making Rachel's blood pressure spike. Rachel Berry was actually seeing red in the metaphorical sense and it took Santana's brawn and Brittany's consoling words to talk Rachel out of pulling the three girls out of their respective classes and making them run suicides until they threw up. Quinn had looked so strong and unbreakable but when the blonde thought no one was looking at her she had seen the mask fall away. She had seen a scared girl who had just most likely been threatened. Rachel would bet her entire Broadway memorabilia that it had _something_ to do with that giant ogre. Stupid Finnept and his psycho fan club.

During lunch Rachel threw icy glares at Jessica, Francine, and Katy. The trio was oblivious to the imminent danger they were in and easily greeted Rachel out of respect. The brunette had half a mind to throw her lunch on Jessica when she saw the girl trying to flirt with Finn.

"You look like you're about to blow a gasket. Should I call the guidance counselor?" Santana taunted from across the lunch table.

Rachel grimaced at the mere thought of having to sit in Miss Pillsbury's office for any extended amount of time. The redheaded guidance counselor had a weird obsession with hand sanitizer and wet wipes. She would rather be sent to Coach Sylvester's lair than to that crazy woman's office.

"I'm just trying to formulate the perfect punishment for what happened earlier," Rachel mused as her thoughts started to wander. The Latina across from her scoffed and shook her head sadly.

"That is so not your expertise, Berry. Leave it to the professionals, alright?"

Rachel's eyes hardened as she scowled at the smug girl in front of her. Brittany had bounded off somewhere, saying something about wanting a grape soda. Rachel had no idea where she would get such a thing since there was no soda for sell on school grounds. Without Brittany as a distraction or a potential diffuser, Rachel was feeling way more on edge.

"Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that being cruel was a _talent_." Rachel spit out the word 'talent' bitterly. The smirk on Santana's face only made the short brunette angrier.

"Well it is, so listen up. Making those bitches run laps and suicides isn't going to make them back down; they're used to that treatment from Coach." Santana's words quelled some of Rachel's anger but she was still thinking that death by suicides was still a pretty good idea. "I don't even know why your spanks are in such a bunch, in all honesty. They talked crap to the bible thumper, big whoop." Santana said with a shrug.

Rachel growled lowly, contemplating if she would have a good enough chance to make a run for it after throwing her lunch on Santana's wrinkle free Cheerios uniform. The odds were not in her favor. She was a fast runner and her legs were longer than you would expect from a short person, but Santana was in just as good as shape as she was and the girl had a few inches on her.

"Don't call her that! It's so derogatory. Who cares if she likes to praise God a bit more than others?"

Santana just rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to her cheddar goldfish. There was a tense silence between the pair and Rachel was praying for Brittany's presence so that the awkwardness would disappear. When it looked as if the rest of lunch would be spent in silence, Santana spoke.

"I can help with the whole punishment thing, since you obviously need guidance." The Latina said with a small devilish smirk blooming on her face. Rachel stared at the girl for a moment before her own smile spread across her face. It was times like these where Rachel knew that calling Santana a friend _wasn't_ reaching.

* * *

Quinn was so far out of her comfort zone that she had thought of just going home multiple times. She had only stayed after school hours for chastity club a handful of times and to make up some tests on the rare days that she happened to be absent. She had definitely never thought that she'd be staying after school for the sole purpose of sitting on uncomfortable bleacher seats and watching the football team scrimmage. She didn't even _enjoy_ football. Quinn's Spanish book was open to unit six on her lap as she peered down at it and scribbled in a little spiral notebook. Since Finn was keeping her from precious homework time she might as well get some of it out of the way while she waited for him to be finished with practice. Football practice had started immediately after school (2:35) and Quinn had already been sitting in the bleachers for ten minutes before she heard the sound of Sue Sylvester's booming voice. The track suit clad woman came into view, her red and white megaphone hanging from her neck, with her prized Cheerios trailing behind her. Spanish homework now forgotten, Quinn watched as Sylvester barked out orders and her cheerleaders scrambled around like ants. The only one who wasn't in motion was Rachel Berry. The head Cheerio was standing stoically by her coach's side, watching her fellow teammates start to get in position for warm up stretching.

Watching the Cheerios go through their runs was ten times more entertaining than watching the football team batter each other. Quinn had been watching the Cheerios for twenty minutes and Sylvester had handed control over to Rachel for the time being. The brunette had risen to the occasion and was leading her squad around the large football field, already on their sixth lap. Rachel stopped the squad after their tenth lap and looked to be telling everyone to cool down before continuing. Hazel eyes watched as Rachel stopped three Cheerios from following the rest of the group. Quinn's eyes widened when she realized it was the same three Cheerios from the hallway incident earlier.

Quinn had never been good at reading lips, but she was good at reading body language. Rachel's shoulders were tense and she looked to be reprimanding the girls sternly. The conversation was short and ended with the three cheerleaders starting around the track again, looking properly scolded and dejected. Quinn had been so caught up in watching the three cheerleaders start another set of laps that she hadn't felt the burning gaze targeted at her profile. Hazel eyes flickered to the left and Quinn visibly swallowed when she saw Rachel Berry openly staring at her. It didn't look like a mean stare, it didn't look like _anything_. It was just blank and slightly contemplative. Quinn was wondering if she should wave or do something, but Rachel spared her the embarrassment by looking away and making her way back towards the rest of her squad. _Thank God_.

* * *

Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. First, Quinn Fabray had showed up at a football game. Then, at the same game, Quinn Fabray had made out with Finn Hudson for the whole world to see. And now Quinn Fabray was sitting in the vacant bleachers watching the Cheerios practice. It was like everywhere Rachel turned, Quinn was _there_. It was making the brunette slightly fidgety and that did not bode well for her.

"Why don't you just go talk to her? You obviously want to." Brittany puffed out between crunches.

"Is talk another word for hump?" Santana snickered as she came up for another rep.

Rachel didn't have the wind power to answer either of them so she simply flicked Santana off and continued through her reps. Her abdominal muscles were on fire and she felt the muscles in her calves twitching from the exertion.

"Humping is good too! I'd want to watch that." Brittany chimed out as she finished her reps and opted to sit up and catch her breath. Brittany was usually the first one to finish reps; it was the thing that Rachel envied about the tall blonde.

"Rachel may be pretty, but she's not _that_ pretty." Santana snorted as she worked faster so she could finish as well. Rachel ignored them both for a another minute and then she collapsed on her back as she finished her last rep. The brunette took deep gulps of air, staring at the pale blue sky before sitting up and reaching for her now lukewarm bottle of water.

"What do you mean I'm not _that_ pretty?" Rachel questioned with a scowl. Santana didn't answer until she had finished and then she took her sweet time downing her own bottle of water before turning her attention back to her impatient captain.

"It's Quinn Fabray." Santana said with a simple shrug. Rachel's eyes pinched but her scowl weakened.

"So?" Rachel challenged, raising her chin in the air as she put the cap on her now empty water bottle and tossed it onto her open Cheerios gym bag.

"Never mind the fact that you're missing the equipment that Quinn is most likely interested in," Santana stated while Rachel scoffed indignantly. "The fact that she's the president of the chastity club would put a huge damper on your sexual escapades, or lack thereof." Santana said in one of her trademark bitchy tones. Rachel absolutely loathed moments where the Latina actually made sense.

"How did we even get on this topic? Change it." Rachel grumbled out as she got to her feet to watch over the rest of the working Cheerios. Brittany just gave Rachel a sympathetic look and Santana cackled before lying back down on the itchy grass.

Cheerio practice actually ended before football practice, which rarely happened. Coach Bieste had tasted victory and now she wasn't going to let it go. The next football game of the season was a week from now and if the Titans won they were actually looking at a shot of getting considered for a spot in the Lima Conference. Something that hadn't been done since Rachel's daddy Hiram had attended the school decades before. Most of the squad – save for Jessica, Francine, and Katy – were hitting the showers. The three girls were now running suicides and Rachel almost felt bad when she saw that their uniforms were completely drenched in sweat. The football team was apparently practicing punting, something that could take up to another forty minutes, and Rachel was eyeing the blonde girl who was perched on the bleachers. She was obviously there for Finn, something that made Rachel angry at the giant oaf. Making the girl wait so long was just inconsiderate and ungentlemanly. Rachel had half a mind to interrupt Bieste's practice and tell the boy herself. In the end, she settled for just climbing the bleachers and sitting next to Quinn.

Rachel had never actually spoken more than a handful of words to the girl next to her, but she had known of her existence. It was hard not to notice the beautiful blonde as she walked down the halls of McKinley, her books always tucked against her chest. Rachel felt a small lump forming in her throat but she knew that she would have to be the first to speak. She had been the one to approach the girl and it would only be courteous to extend the first greeting.

"Are you here for Finn?" It was probably the worst thing that Rachel could have used as an opener, yet she couldn't stop the words from spewing out of her mouth.

Quinn looked at her quizzically before giving a curt nod and shifting her gaze back to the football field. Rachel mentally cursed herself for being so uncouth. Rachel Berry was _never_ uncouth. She had to try again, if only to redeem herself.

The brunette cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter, though she couldn't help but wonder if she reeked from the workout she had just endured. "My name is Rachel Barbra Berry, head Cheerio. I'm sure you already knew that and I surely already know who you are but I think introductions should be exchanged for common courtesy."

There. That was a huge improvement. Quinn seemed to think so too because she had a small quirky smile on her face. Quirky smiles meant good things, right?

"I'm Quinn Fabray," she said softly, her fingers immediately latching onto the small cross that was around her neck. Rachel's brown eyes flickered down to look at the cross before they flickered back up to meet a shocking green.

Rachel knew that the color of irises could change colors but she had never seen it happen so quickly. You could still see the golden flecks of hazel around Quinn's pupil but the majority was a soft mossy green. The mixture of gold and green reminded Rachel of autumn leaves. The brunette had never seen anything like it and she found herself leaning forward and trying to get a closer look. Quinn had backed up a little when she noticed that Rachel was leaning inward.

"Your eyes are so cool," Rachel breathed out before removing herself from Quinn's personal space. A blush, so faint that it could have been easily overlooked, tinged Quinn's fair cheeks as she ducked her head.

"Thanks," Quinn murmured bashfully just as a huge shadow loomed over the two girls.

Rachel should have known it'd be Finn. She had been so caught up in Quinn that she hadn't even taken notice that football practice had come to an abrupt end and Finn was now standing in front of the two girls. He was there to retrieve his _girlfriend_. Rachel knew that she had outwardly cringed and she also knew that Quinn had seen it.

"Hey Quinn, Rachel," Finn said dopily while nodding 'coolly' at Rachel before turning his full attention on the blonde. "You ready to go Quinn? Sorry that it took so long but Coach was going crazy today. I promise it won't take this long tomorrow," Finn said with a dumb smile on his face.

Rachel made a noise in the back of her throat and got to her feet, noticing that her three Cheerios were still running their suicides and looked ready to keel over. She had informed them that every time she caught wind of them bothering Quinn that their practices would get longer and harder. She and Santana had also had a word with Coach Sylvester, telling her that the three were slacking and should be demoted from their middle positions on the pyramid and work their way back up again. Needless to say, she was sure that Quinn would not have any more troubles from any of her Cheerios. Rachel watched as Quinn nodded her affirmative at Finn's question and then grabbed her tote bag and slung it over her shoulder while she got to her feet and smoothed out her baby doll dress.

"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow, gotta go let those three off the hook so I can get home." Rachel said as she made her way down the bleachers.

Finn smiled and waved dopily while Quinn smiled softly in Rachel's direction and gave a small wave of her own. Her wave was way more dignified than Finn's. Despite the oaf's bad timing, Rachel felt good as she dismissed the last of her squad and then made her way into the Cheerios locker room.

She had successfully broken the ice with Quinn Fabray and now it was time to start treading water.

* * *

**A/N: **_Thank you guys so much for the feedback! I should've mentioned this in the previous chapter or maybe in the summary but there will be no baby-gate Quinn or Rachel. It wouldn't really fit into my story anyways. Let me know what you think about the chapter. xx_


	3. Listening

**Trials & Tribulations**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I'm simply having a little fun with them._

**Chapter Three: Listening**

It had become routine to perch in the empty bleachers on the football field, pretending to be watching her boyfriend when she was in fact paying way more attention to the perky brunette who was parading around in a little cheerleading uniform. Whoever had designed the Cheerios' uniform was a complete pervert. Quinn had been mortified when she had first realized that she was _thankful_ for the designer's perversions. That was not normal. She should not be thinking about what color spanks Rachel Berry was wearing and she should definitely not be wondering if she was going to be able to get a peek of them if she paid close enough attention. Quinn had been coming to 'see her boyfriend practice' for a little over two weeks now, even after they won their game against Thorndale. Finn didn't even have to ask his girlfriend if she'd be there because he already knew the answer. Quinn just felt bad that he assumed that she was actually there for him. But that guilt was nothing compared to how guilty she felt deep down inside. As if she had gone against God's word by fantasizing about a girl. Even though she prayed extra hard each day, she still went, and she still watched. Sometimes she would even talk Finn into showering if the football team finished before the Cheerios, just so she could actually say hi to their captain. Finn was lumbering off after his team, his helmet in his hand as he talked animatedly with Karofsky and Puck about the scrimmage. Quinn had just convinced him to go take a shower, promising him that she was fine with waiting an extra ten minutes.

The Cheerios finished their pyramid formation approximately three minutes later and Rachel dismissed them before heading for her gym bag. The blonde leaped to her feet and made her way down the bleachers, making sure not to get the edge of her dress stuck on anything. The chilly autumn mornings were turning into chilly autumn days and Quinn would soon have to opt for jeans instead of dresses, though she preferred the former. Quinn's fingers played with the little silver cross around her neck as the blonde stopped right beside Rachel, who was bending down and digging through her gym bag. Quinn's lips pursed into a straight line as hazel eyes drifted lower and rested on a sliver of bright red spanks. She shouldn't have been surprised – Rachel's spanks were either red or black – but Quinn could feel her breath hitch nonetheless. She silently recited a prayer, squeezing her eyes shut for a few seconds before silently saying amen and then opening them to see a bemused Rachel Berry looking at her.

"Hello Quinn, are you alright?" The melodious voice nearly swept Quinn away again but she kept herself grounded. Rachel was always so formal with her – although the two had been speaking a lot more over the last two weeks – ever since Rachel had took the initiative to introduce herself in the most peculiar way. Quinn had never pegged the short brunette as a rambler.

"Yeah I just wanted to say hi, y'know." Quinn almost closed her eyes again because of the sheer lameness that emanated from her voice. She was glad that she didn't close them though, because then she would've missed the wide toothy smile that Rachel gave her. Suddenly, being lame wasn't looking all that bad.

Rachel's smile slowly dissipated as she shifted her weight awkwardly. Quinn took notice of the bottle of water in the brunette's grasp and wondered if the girl was itching to get into the shower like the rest of the Cheerios were. Thinking of Rachel Berry and a hot steaming shower really wasn't one of Quinn's brightest moments. The blonde felt a hot blush invading her face but she resisted the urge to duck her head and look away since it'd just draw more attention to her random bashfulness.

"Are you waiting for Finn?" Rachel questioned lightly.

Quinn didn't think the question really needed an answer, since she was sure Rachel already knew the answer. But it was a part of their little routine. Finn would go off to shower or the Cheerios would finish first and then she and Rachel would exchange pleasantries. After that was out of the way it would be a little awkward and then Rachel would ask if Quinn was waiting for Finn. After a while Quinn had simply stopping vocally answering the question. So she just nodded and hummed a little in the affirmative. Rachel rocked on the balls of her feet for a few moments before she offered Quinn a sheepish grin and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Well I was going to ask you something but when I saw that football practice was over I figured you'd be gone by the time I finished up," Rachel admitted shyly.

Quinn's interest was officially piqued and she leaned in a little closer so she could be slightly eye level with Rachel. It was almost funny how short the girl was. She couldn't be any taller than 5'2 and compared to Quinn's 5'6 that was extremely tiny.

"I was wondering if you would like to eat lunch with Santana, Brittany and I tomorrow. I mean I know you eat with the chastity club but I thought you'd like a little change of scenery." Rachel explained in one huge breath.

It hadn't exactly been what Quinn had been expecting to hear. The blonde tucked her lower lip between two rows of pearly white teeth as she thought about Rachel's offer. She already knew she was going to accept but seeing the brunette fidget was fun. Quinn even went as far as to tap her chin with her index finger before Rachel huffed indignantly and stomped her foot.

"Yes I will eat lunch with you," Quinn chuckled as she situated her tote bag on her shoulder.

Rachel's brown eyes brightened as she perked up immediately. She looked ready to vibrate with excitement and it was one of the most endearing things Quinn had ever seen in her short sixteen years.

"Great! I've gotta go before Santana and Brittany defile the showers, see you tomorrow Quinn." Rachel gushed before stepping forward and boldly pulling Quinn into a tight hug. The blonde immediately stiffened and just as she started to melt into the smell and feel of Rachel Berry, the hug was over. Rachel picked up her gym bag and gave Quinn one last wave and smile before heading for the entrance into the Cheerios' locker room. As Quinn watched her go, her fingers shot back up to caress her silver cross.

That night, after Quinn helped her mother with the dishes and finished the last of her homework, the blonde slipped onto her knees beside her bed and stared at her white duvet. Quinn stayed there, reciting the mantra that her father had nailed into her brain as soon as he deemed her mature enough to understand.

* * *

"_It's a shame what Lima's become. Allowing two gay men to parade around the mall with that abomination of a daughter," Russell Fabray spat as he led his family to their car. The family had been planning on spending a nice day together at the mall before catching a family friendly movie later on. Amanda was pushing seventeen and Quinn was only eleven. _

_Quinn was too engrossed in the lollipop her mother had allowed her to get to even notice the angry tone of her father and the pinched expression on her mother's usually pretty face. The drive home was quiet and tense, Russell still going on and on about what had happened at the mall. The Fabrays had been exiting a home appliance store when Russell caught sight of Hiram and Leroy Berry with their bubbly brunette daughter hanging on both of their arms. Russell had immediately shepherded his family away from them and their nice family outing was abruptly cut short. _

_The small blonde heard her father saying downright awful and surely sinful things about little Rachel Berry and it didn't sit well with her, so she decided to speak. "I liked that girl's hair bow mom; can I have one like that?" Quinn asked innocently._

_Russell's foot had hit the brake so hard that the car behind them almost rear ended their silver SUV. The man twisted around in his seat so fast that Quinn had flinched back as a reflex. _

"_You will have nothing that that little girl has, Lucy Quinn. She is not raised properly and I'll be damned if you start wanting to make friends." Russell hissed. _

"_Yes papa," Quinn said quietly as she hid her face in Amanda's comforting arm. Quinn didn't relax until her father started driving again. _

"_You are a Fabray, Quinn. That girl…that girl is a Berry and we do not associate with Berry's." Russell explained in a calmer manner as he eyed his daughter through his rearview mirror._

"_Why papa?" Quinn asked with genuine curiosity. The car was silent for a few moments; Quinn's mother looked like she needed a drink and Russell looked contemplative. Finally making up his mind, the man spoke clearly and firmly._

"_Because her home dynamic is not natural. She has two fathers." Russell stated. He must've noted the still perplexed expression on his youngest daughter's face so he went on to explain, though his grip on the steering wheel tightened considerably._

"_They are homosexual and homosexuality is a sin and is a one-way ticket to Hell." Russell said darkly._

_Quinn stared out of the car window for the rest of the ride with her father's words playing over and over in her head. She understood now, though she was not sure if she totally agreed with her papa._

* * *

Hot tears silently streamed down Quinn's cheeks as her fingers clenched her duvet for support. Thoughts of Rachel flickered through Quinn's mind like a picture show and she felt guilt swirl in her stomach. Never before had Quinn Fabray disobeyed her father, and now she was challenging his whole way of life by thinking of the unthinkable. By wanting to do the unforgivable. Quinn didn't know what to do, so she prayed.

"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven, and the pains of Hell; but most of all because I love thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen."

Quinn had never before had to recite that verse in her life and doing so made her feel like she had lost a piece of her soul. Her voice shook and her chest heaved with dry sobs but once she finished she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Despite her guilt and her beg for forgiveness, Quinn Fabray still went to sleep that night with thoughts of Rachel Berry.

* * *

Rachel was still in a severe case of shock as she made her way through the halls of McKinley the next day. She had finally gotten up the nerve to take Brittany's lunch suggestion and ask Quinn about it. Never mind the fact that Brittany had mentioned the lunch 'date' a whole week before Rachel had mustered up the courage to actually ask. The fact was that she had done it and she was now walking on air. When Rachel informed the bubbly blonde about it Brittany had jumped up in the air while the towel she was wearing flapped against her legs. Santana had decided to sulk for another five minutes in the shower, upset that Rachel had interrupted some "potentially hot shower humping". Rachel had to fight back the shiver at the horrifying images that invaded her mind. She would admit that her two friends were aesthetically pleasing together but imagining them having sex was just too freaky, no pun intended. She had known both of them before they had come out of the (barely there) closet, and although she had accepted them fully it was still a little weird to see them 'macking' on each other.

As Rachel reached her locker she felt the familiar buzzing of her cellphone. The brunette unlocked her locker before digging her phone out of her backpack. She glanced at the screen and almost stomped her foot when she saw that it was Santana and that she was being summoned.

_Meet me & Britt-Britt in the Cheerio lounge_. _If u don't show up I'll burn ur Streisand posters._

Rachel rolled her eyes at the text language – something that Santana _knew_ drove the girl crazy – before unlocking her phone so she could quickly reply.

_Good morning to you as well, Santana. I hope you know that you are impeding upon my education and that if any of my Barbra posters go missing I will contact my lawyer._

The brunette's 'lawyer' was actually her dad Leroy, who was a well-known attorney in Lima. Her daddy claimed that that was where Rachel got her insufferable stubbornness. Rachel looked at it as more of a compliment than anything else though. If she didn't manage to make it on Broadway – God forbid – than she could always take up a career in law. Santana replied back quicker than usual and Rachel glared down at the five simple words.

_Stop being a drama queen._

Ugh! Rachel would show her a drama queen. The small brunette slammed her locker shut, finally coming to grasps with the fact that she was indeed going to miss her first class of the day. The Cheerio made her way through the halls of McKinley, her pace quick and determined as she headed in the direction of the Cheerio lounge. Rachel's speech was already flying out of her mouth seconds before she opened the door and entered the posh red and black room.

"Santana Lopez! I cannot believe you would even insinuate that I was being a drama queen!" Rachel huffed petulantly as she allowed the door to close behind her.

Santana and Brittany were sprawled out over one of the black leather couches, their limbs intertwined. Rachel felt a small sliver of jealousy bloom in her chest and she had to avert her eyes before she started to sulk. But Santana and Brittany didn't even bother untangling themselves so Rachel sighed and took a seat in one of the armchairs directly across from them. SpongeBob – one of Brittany's all-time favorites – was playing on the decent sized TV. Rachel still wondered to this very day how Coach Sylvester had talked Principle Figgins into allowing her to build this lounge for her Cheerios.

"Morning Rachel!" Brittany said happily. Rachel smiled at the girl and murmured a hello back before turning to glare at Santana. The Latina seemed to be contemplating something because she had a glazed over look in her dark brown eyes.

"Well?" Rachel asked after a few moments of silence stretched by.

"Well what?" Santana snapped. Rachel glowered and folded her arms across her chest. The day had started off so well – she had even managed to eat two of her daddy's world famous vegan waffles this morning – but Santana was quickly ruining the brunette's good mood.

"Why am I not in class right now? Do you know how hard it is to make up work from an AP course? I'm going to be set back for days!" Rachel wailed in indignation. She gave serious thought to throwing her backpack at the Latina's head as the girl snickered behind her hand.

"Well we found out something super important last night Rach, like really super important." Brittany explained softly.

Ugh. How was Rachel supposed to stay mad when Brittany gave her that trademark puppy dog look? Rachel could already feel her annoyance dissipating. Santana had also sobered and nodded solemnly as she intertwined her fingers with Brittany's and pressed a kiss to the back of the girl's hand. Rachel was forced to avert her eyes once again. She felt like she was interrupting something really special between her two friends so she let them have their little moment.

"Well what Britt says is true, some shit went down last night," Santana explained.

Rachel simply stared the girl in the eye, silently telling her to continue. She was sure that Santana had gotten the message but the Latina didn't continue. In fact, she couldn't even look Rachel in the eye anymore. This caused Rachel to sit up straight, her shoulders tense as she braced herself for the worst. Had someone died? Rachel racked over a list of people who could have possibly perished over the last twenty-four hours but before she could finish her list Brittany's voice broke her out of her reverie.

"The little Puckasauras slipped up," Brittany's voice was sad but her words made absolutely no sense. It was obviously something that involved Noah, no one else would go by such an absurd penname. Santana must've seen the confusion on Rachel's face because the Latina pinched the bridge of her nose before taking a steadying breath.

"Britt means that…Puck slipped up." Santana murmured quietly.

Rachel had never seen her friends so serious before. Even though Santana had just restated what Brittany had said, the words hit Rachel in an entire different way. She was no longer confused, now she was dazed. Brown eyes blinked owlishly as the small brunette's arms fell limply to her sides.

"Oh." Rachel's voice sounded foreign, even to her. Sure, she didn't think that she and Noah were anything overly serious, but she had still expected the boy to at least respect her enough to not do it with another girl while he was seeing her. Obviously that was too much to ask from the dumb man whore.

"It's his lost, Rach." Brittany said as she untangled herself from Santana and bent down to try and look Rachel in the eyes. Rachel just ducked her head and sucked her lower lip into her mouth as she tried to push away the tears that were threatening to fall.

She _hadn't_ loved Noah Puckerman, but it still didn't hurt any less.

* * *

Quinn had been going through her classes like a zombie. She had been contemplating if she should break off the lunch thing with Rachel but the girl didn't even show up to U.S. History that morning. Quinn tried to push away the thoughts that were running rampant in her head. It was none of her business about where Rachel was or what she was doing. She had clearly seen the girl walk into the school earlier so she knew the Cheerio wasn't absent. Lunch came quicker than ever before – to Quinn's utter dismay – and the blonde shuffled to the cafeteria in a daze. She didn't even bother looking around the lunchroom as she made a beeline for one of the growing lunch lines. After Quinn got her lunch – a Caesar salad with French dressing – she stood in the middle of the lunchroom with timid eyes. Her usual table looked so appealing but she had told Rachel that she'd have lunch with her, and Fabrays were always people of their word. With squared shoulders and raised chin, Quinn made her way towards the sea of McKinley letterman jackets. Cheerios threw her disgruntled looks, most likely thinking she was there to sit with Finn. Her boyfriend was actually looking at her with wide eyes and a dopy grin, probably thinking the same thing. Quinn just smiled apologetically at him before sitting her tray down directly in front of a distracted Santana and worried looking Brittany.

"Hey um, Rachel asked me to sit with her today but I guess she's not here yet…" Quinn trailed off, leaving the questioning tone up in the air. She had never directly addressed Santana before but she and Brittany had exchanged a few words on multiple occasions. The girl was a little out there but she was pure at heart and that made her okay in Quinn's book.

"I don't think the midget is gonna be joining us," Santana murmured as she stared down at her untouched slice of pizza. Quinn threw a glare at the girl – who wasn't all that much taller than Rachel herself – before plopping down in the seat anyways. Brittany gave Santana a little nudge before turning her attention back to Quinn.

"Santana's just worried. It's her deaf mechanic." Brittany explained as she rubbed Santana's bare arm. The Latina huffed but gave the tall blonde a weak grin and resting her hand on the girl's leg.

"It's called a defense mechanism, Britt-Britt." Santana corrected the girl. Brittany just shrugged and flashed a bright smile in Quinn's direction.

If Quinn was being honest, she was a little uncomfortable at the moment. She felt extremely third wheel-ish and it wasn't sitting well with her. She also felt angry, angry at Rachel for standing her up when _she_ had been the one to ask in the first place. Quinn was just about ready to go sit with her usual group when Santana gave Quinn a piercing stare.

"Rachel was really looking forward to this lunch but some stuff came up earlier this morning and she's just not up for anything right now," Santana explained as she supported her head by resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Okay that was weird. It was almost like the Latina had _known_ what Quinn was thinking.

Quinn's curiosity was starting to get the best of her, but she had a feeling that Santana would never tell Rachel's business without the girl's permission. Although Santana came off as a huge bitch – which she indeed was – Quinn also knew that the girl could probably be extremely loyal. Quinn also knew that the only two people that that loyalty most likely extended to were Brittany and Rachel.

"I think she deserves to know San, everyone else knows already." Brittany frowned deeply. Santana stared at her for a few moments before shaking her head and then throwing a glare at Quinn.

"Rachel wants to be alone right now, Britt." Santana explained, although her voice was a bit more tense now.

"Rachel never wants to be alone, San. She just doesn't want us to be there for some reason. Maybe Quinn can make her feel better!" Brittany pressed on, determined to get what she wanted.

Quinn was lost. Beyond lost, actually. She had shaken up her salad so that the dressing was spread everywhere and now she was spearing a piece of grilled chicken into her mouth. In the middle of her second forkful of salad, Santana groaned and threw her hands in the air.

"Dios mio, fine!" Quinn's eyes widened as Santana leveled her with the iciest glare the blonde had ever seen. "Listen here Fabray, I don't know you and therefore your ass shouldn't even be involved in this. But my Britts seems to think that you're exactly what we need so you're going to do something. Rachel is in the Cheerio lounge and she's really sad but I'll leave the explaining to her." Santana looked like every word she was speaking was causing her physical pain. Quinn was just blinking owlishly while Brittany smiled.

"Well? Move your ass, Fabray!" Santana snapped impatiently.

Quinn glared but grabbed her salad, snapping the plastic lid shut and getting to her feet. She didn't even bother saying bye to the two Cheerios as she made a beeline for the nearest lunchroom exit. The last thing that Quinn heard before she slipped into the empty hallway was Brittany squealing and clapping her hands.

* * *

Being a wholesome Christian girl and raised in a strict household meant that Quinn rarely ever cursed. But she had been mumbling shits and damns under her breath for the last five minutes as she scoured the halls of McKinley for a fucking lounge. The only lounge she knew of was the teacher's lounge and Santana hadn't bothered to give her freaking directions. Quinn was about to just sit down in the hall and finish her salad when she saw a large oak door that had a Cheerios plaque on it. Quinn rolled her eyes but decided to walk inside anyways. Santana had said that Rachel was really sad about something so she didn't want to leave the girl to sulk by herself. Quinn knew how crappy it felt to be upset and have no one to lean on. At first Quinn thought that she was standing in an empty room, but then she heard the sniffles and the sound of a television. The blonde closed the door quietly and looked around, drinking in the surroundings before calling out in a soft voice.

"Rachel? Are you in here?" There was no immediate answer but Quinn heard the frequent sniffles suddenly stop.

Moments later, Rachel's brunette head ducked up from the back of a couch. Her hair was in total disarray and her brown eyes were red and puffy from the tears she had most likely been shedding for quite some time. There was an awkward silence as Quinn shifted her wait uncomfortably and Rachel tried to pat down her hair. The attempts were futile and Quinn could already see a fresh wave of tears assaulting Rachel's eyes. Upon seeing the wetness pooling in brown orbs, a little part of Quinn's heart broke. Quinn ducked her head and walked around the couch. The blonde gingerly sat down on the edge of the couch while Rachel tucked her knees against her chest, resting her chin on top of them.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel's voice was despondent and raspy but Quinn's heart still sped up a little.

Quinn looked down at her salad for a moment before holding it up and shrugging. "Just looking for a place to eat, the cafeteria was a little crowded."

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes, but Quinn could clearly see a hint of a smile on the crestfallen girl's face. Quinn smiled brightly and turned her body around so that her front was facing Rachel's. The two girls just stared at each other for a few moments before things got way too intense and Quinn was forced to avert her eyes.

"I was waiting for you and you never showed so I thought I'd come looking for you. Good thing too, what's wrong?" Quinn questioned softly. Rachel was now hiding behind her own hair, her chestnut brown waves casting her face into shadows. It now occurred to Quinn that this was the first time she had seen Rachel Berry with her hair down. Her fingertips were suddenly _itching_ to touch the soft strands.

"I-…Noah," Rachel whimpered lowly as fresh tears started making their way down her cheeks. Quinn's eyes pinched as she sat her salad down on the glass coffee table and kicked off her flats before tucking her feet under her so she could sit Indian-style. She had the sneaking suspicion that neither she nor Rachel was going to be leaving this 'lounge' anytime soon. She also had the sneaking suspicion that that stupid Noah Puckerman was behind all of this.

"What did Puck do?" Quinn asked softly as she rested a tentative hand on one of Rachel's knees. The brunette had curled into a version of the fetal position while small whimpers passed through her mouth every once and a while. Yeah, Quinn's heart was definitely breaking.

"He cheated," Rachel breathed out before she hid her face in one of the pillows that decorated the couch. If it was anyone else Quinn would have been annoyed. Noah Puckerman was the biggest man whore to walk Lima, Ohio and the fact that he had managed to control himself for months was a miracle. He was bound to slip up eventually so Rachel shouldn't have been having a complete meltdown over it. Usually Quinn would have been brutally honest, but her heart would not allow her to say such cruel things to the brunette that was sitting in front of her.

"And then I went to talk to him about it and he didn't even deny it!" Rachel's tears had started to subside again and a glint of anger hardened her eyes. Quinn quirked one eyebrow but let Rachel continue. She knew that the girl needed someone to vent to and she was willing to be there for it.

"Then he had the audacity to start flirting with me! I should have castrated him right there but then Santana pulled me away before I could get my hands on him. I'm only in here because I can't take the risk of seeing his stupid face and rearranging it." Rachel snarled out.

Well, talk about mood swings. Quinn's mouth was set into a firm line as she tried to stop the giggles that were threatening to slip through her lips. Although Rachel looked adorably angry Quinn knew that the girl was still in a vulnerable position and laughing would only make it worst. So she decided to console her instead.

"Puck's an idiot Rachel, and no offense but you were kind of an idiot for giving him your time." Quinn pointed out. Rachel glared at her for a fraction of a second before sighing and rubbing her temples.

"You're right, I brought this on myself." Quinn's eyes had hardened before Rachel had even finished her sentence.

"No you did not! It was no one's fault but Puck's. Guys like him are the worst, they just think with their penis and don't care who gets hurt on the way." Quinn affirmed hotly. Rachel stared at the girl for a few seconds before a big smile spread across her face.

Quinn sighed in relief and then squeaked in surprise when she felt strong – yet strong – arms pull her in for a tight hug. Quinn slowly melted into the other girl immediately and even took a deep breath so she could take in Rachel's scent. It was the most intoxicating thing that Quinn had ever smelled. It was a mixture of cherry blossoms, vanilla, and some kind of fruit. As Rachel murmured soft "thank you's" in Quinn's ear, the blonde tried to slow down her racing pulse.

They stayed like that for a long time, long enough to miss a good majority of their next class and not even bother to get up and attend the rest. That was when Quinn realized that even though she had begged God for his forgiveness and for him to lead her on the right path, she was still so lost.

Her sinful feelings had not dissipated at all and God had not been listening to her pleas. And a tiny part of her – the part that wanted to do more than just hug Rachel Berry – was okay with that.

* * *

**A/N: **_Let me know what you think! xx_


	4. But I'm A Cheerleader

**Trials & Tribulations**

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I'm simply having a little fun with them._

**Chapter Four: But I'm A Cheerleader**

The news of Rachel and Noah's breakup spread like wildfire. Jacob Ben Israel's blog – properly dubbed _The Mole_ – had the breaking story up as soon as possible. Even though the boy was a total bottom feeder everyone still found excuses to check his website daily in hopes of finding some juicy gossip. Despite the whispers and the rumors, Rachel managed to hold her head high for the entire school week. She knew that she wasn't alone so she decided to make the best of things. Noah was still being a bit of a jerk but Rachel expected that. It was now Friday afternoon and the school day had just ended but Rachel was heading for the football field. She knew Quinn would be there – under the pretense of being there for Finn – when in fact the blonde was there for Rachel today. The thought made a smug grin spread across the brunette's face as she joined her squad. Coach Sylvester was already yelling through her megaphone as the Cheerios started stretching for their daily run. Rachel was sitting near Santana and Brittany while she did toe touches, but her brown eyes were focused on the blonde that was sitting in the bleachers with a book opened on her lap. Rachel smiled brightly when hazel eyes looked up and locked with her own. Quinn smiled and waved at the Cheerio before ducking her head and turning her attention back to her book. Rachel was too caught up in Quinn's smile so by the time she dazedly waved back Quinn wasn't even looking her way anymore.

"Oh brother," Santana snorted, shaking her head in disappointment as she watched her friend make a fool out of herself. Rachel hesitantly looked away from Quinn before leveling Santana with an annoyed look.

She didn't bother snapping at the Latina because she knew it'd be a lost cause. Santana had been making snide remarks about Quinn all week and it was really starting to get on Rachel's last nerve. The brunette was contemplating making the girl run an extra ten laps just for the hell of it.

"Santana thinks you and Quinn would be super-duper cute," Brittany stated randomly while Santana gaped at her girlfriend. "She ships it," Brittany said as an afterthought.

"Ship? Is that some lesbian slang that I'm unaware of?" Rachel questioned in amusement while Santana groaned and hid her face in her hands.

* * *

Football practice ended first. Rachel watched in annoyance as Finn lumbered up the bleachers and plopped down next to Quinn. He jostled the girl so bad that her book fell from her lap. Rachel watched as the blonde gave the oaf an annoyed look before bending down to pick the book up. Unfortunately Finn had also bent down to retrieve the book and the two ended up knocking their heads together. Rachel winced as she watched the altercation; she had never seen a more awkward couple. Coach dismissed the squad a few minutes later and Quinn and Finn were still on the bleachers talking to each other. Quinn did not look pleased and Finn looked…well Finn looked constipated but that was nothing new. Rachel brushed past two Cheerios and made her way up the bleachers, her plan already formulated in her mind. Quinn had come here to see her today and Rachel would be damned if Finn Hudson was going to ruin that for her.

"Hey Quinn! You ready to go?" Rachel's voice was unusually cheery and anyone with half a brain could see the fakeness of her smile. Good thing Finn Hudson didn't have half a brain.

One of Quinn's eyebrows was raised as she looked at Rachel in slight bemusement. Their eyes locked for a few seconds and then understanding and relief flooded Quinn's facial expression and she got to her feet with a nod. Finn also got to his feet, making the bleachers tremble under his weight.

"Where are you going with Quinn?" He asked in confusion.

"We're having a girls' night, Brittany invited Quinn earlier and we're all going over to my house right now." Rachel lied through her teeth.

"I didn't know you guys knew each other," Finn said suspiciously. Rachel couldn't resist her eye roll and Quinn sucked her teeth.

"Well we do, obviously. Now be a dear Finny and go take a shower, you're burning off my eyebrows." Rachel snapped in annoyance. She didn't like being questioned, plus Finn was on her shit list for reasons unknown.

Finn huffed but just turned to Quinn and ducked down, pressing a nauseating kiss to the girl's unresponsive lips. "I'll text you later Quinn," Finn said before glaring at an impatient Rachel and lumbering back down the bleachers to head into the boys' locker rooms.

"Isn't he a charmer," Rachel deadpanned, giving Quinn a look before making her way down the bleachers. She heard Quinn following behind her but she didn't turn around to say anything. The way that Finn had kissed Quinn with such familiarity made Rachel ill.

Santana and Brittany were still waiting for Rachel, opting to just shower when they got to the brunette's house. They had indeed planned on a girls' night but Quinn hadn't been on the guest list. Santana's eyebrows rose considerably when she noticed that Rachel was leading Quinn over to them. Brittany just looked downright excited as she bounced in place on the balls of her feet.

"Quinn's going to join our little group for the night." Rachel explained shortly as she grabbed her gym bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Brittany squealed and pulled a bemused Quinn into a tight hug before leading the girl towards the student parking lot while Santana and Rachel trailed behind them. Santana was examining Rachel's facial expression – or lack thereof – while the short brunette just looked at her white tennis shoes.

"It's obvious she doesn't like Finnocence, Berry." Santana said in a quiet tone so the two girls in front wouldn't hear.

Rachel glanced at her friend and pressed her lips into a hard line before her shoulders slumped. "I wouldn't care if she did."

Santana didn't believe her. Hell, Rachel didn't even believe herself. The Latina patted her friend on the shoulder before glancing over at Brittany and Quinn. Quinn had loosened up considerably and was now openly laughing as Brittany hooked their arms together and led her to Rachel's red Kia Forte.

"I think we both know that that's a load of shit, Rachel."

* * *

Rachel's house was big. Not so big that it was overly grandeur but big enough for Quinn to conclude that the Berry men made more than enough money. Despite the size, Quinn was surprised to see that it was extremely homey inside. It looked like an actual family lived there. The four girls had taken up refuge in Rachel's living room and sprawled across the furniture. Well, Rachel and Quinn were sitting on the couch while Brittany and Santana were sprawled out on one of the loveseats. Rachel had yet to actually directly address Quinn and the blonde was getting really ticked off. She hadn't done anything wrong so she didn't know why Rachel was being such a drama queen. The awkward silence stretched for a few more minutes before Santana hopped up, pulling Brittany along with her.

"Well this is fun and all but Britts and I are gonna go shower."

Quinn's eyebrows rose so high up that she was sure they had disappeared under her bangs. She had been around dignified prudes for most of her life so never had she met someone who was so comfortable about sex. Santana seemed to exude it and flaunt it effortlessly and Brittany wasn't that far behind. The tall blonde was probably more of a sexual deviant than the Latina but Santana voiced it more. Quinn shifted uncomfortably as the two girls chased each other out of the room and then up the stairs that led to the second floor. Rachel didn't look fazed at all – Quinn assumed she was just used to such behavior by now – but then again the brunette didn't look much of anything at the moment. Her expression was blank and she was just giving the marble fireplace across the room her evil eye. The blonde cursed Santana, Brittany, and their libidos for leaving her here in this tense situation. She had no idea why Rachel was angry and she didn't really want to find out. An angry Rachel was a scary Rachel.

"You could go shower, y'know." Quinn's voice penetrated the silence of the room as she offered Rachel a timid smile. Her smile quickly vanished when Rachel fixed her with a glower; an extremely lethal glower.

"Are you insinuating that I smell?" Rachel's tone was sharp and icy, as if advising Quinn to not say the wrong thing twice in a row.

Quinn was sure that she was gaping like a fish as her eyes widened comically. How was it that a nice offer could be taken so far out of context?

"Of course not, but you were practicing really hard so I just thought…" Quinn knew that she wasn't being very refined as her voice quavered and a small pout played on her face. But it seemed to crack Rachel's shell as the brunette's glare softened and a small twitch of her lips indicated that she was fighting a smile.

"I'm sorry for snapping, I guess I do need a shower." Rachel apologized softly as she got to her feet and held her hand out for Quinn to take.

The blonde hesitated for a second as she stared at Rachel's small hand. It looked soft and extremely inviting and Quinn's own hand seemed to shoot forward of its own volition. Rachel led the way up to the second floor while Quinn recited a prayer in her head. She was not doing anything wrong. She was simply holding a friend's hand. Friends held hands all the time, just look at Brittany and Santana. _Okay not a good comparison. _

While Quinn was mentally berating herself, Rachel was flitting around her bedroom and opening and closing drawers. Wait, _what_? Quinn's eyes widened as she spun completely around, taking in Rachel's room in one giant sweep. It was nothing like Quinn had envisioned. Not that she had dreamt about Rachel's bedroom at all or anything. The walls were a pale yellow and the whole thing was extremely mellow. The walls were adorned with posters of Broadway related things and pictures of Rachel and her dads. The brunette's computer desk was occupied by a MacBook and a simple desk lamp while a good portion of her room – which was surprisingly modest in size – was occupied by the large four poster bed. The one thing that stood out in the room was the large DVD storage that was pressed up against the wall opposite the bed, right under a nice sized TV that was mounted onto the wall. Quinn had never pegged Rachel as a movie junkie.

The DVDs seemed like the safest thing to focus on so Quinn drifted over to them and went about scanning the numerous titles while Rachel hummed a tune and got her shower things ready. Quinn was examining the front cover of a movie called _But I'm A Cheerleader _when she sensed Rachel peeking over her shoulder.

"It's one of my favorite movies. Takes a little while to get into it but once you do it's great." Rachel informed with a small smirk on her face. Quinn sensed a hint of amusement in the brunette's tone and quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

"It's about an All-American girl, who is a cheerleader, and who gets sent to a gay camp so she can be 'taught' to be straight. The sex scenes are quite interesting." Rachel's brown eyes sparkled as Quinn's jaw dropped. "I'll be out in ten minutes." Rachel called over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the bathroom that was adjoined to her bedroom.

Quinn was still rooted in the same spot as Rachel disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. The blonde looked down at the movie in her hands and pursed her lips together as her eyebrows furrowed. She put the movie back where she had found it before sitting daintily on the edge of Rachel's bed. The remote to the television was within arm's reach so Quinn decided to treat herself to some cartoons.

* * *

The fact that Quinn Fabray was in her house, in her bedroom, probably sitting on her _bed_, did weird things to Rachel. She took longer than ten minutes due to the fact that she had to give herself a little pep talk to calm herself down. The thought of Quinn on her bed shouldn't excite her this much. Actually, it shouldn't excite her at all. Rachel reminded herself of that numerous times before she stepped out of her shower and toweled herself dry. She had thought ahead and taken a change of clothes into the bathroom with her so she could avoid the whole awkward moment of walking in front of Quinn in nothing but a towel. The brunette pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a simple t-shirt before exiting the bathroom. She must've taken longer than she thought because Santana and Brittany were now lounging on her bed while Quinn sat on the edge. All three were engrossed in cartoons. Well, Brittany and Quinn were engrossed while Santana was eyeing Brittany's bare legs.

Rachel noted how Quinn looked so out of place. The girl looked on edge and nervous, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as her hazel eyes stayed glued on the television. Rachel cleared her throat as she tossed her dirty Cheerios uniform into her wicker clothes hamper. Quinn glanced at her and offered a small smile before turning her gaze back to the television.

"Santana I trust that you and Brittany cleaned the tub this time around?" Rachel questioned as she opted to sit in her black desk chair. The bed seemed a bit crowded anyways.

"No but we'll totally keep that in mind next time!" Brittany answered before Santana could open her mouth to shoot back a snarky comment. Rachel grumbled but didn't say anything else as she swiveled her chair around to face Quinn. The blonde had turned her attention away from the television to watch the small interaction between the three best friends.

"You could shower if you want, I'm sure we could find some clothes that fit you." Rachel offered with a small smile. Quinn seemed to ponder over it for a few moments before a small quirk to her lips indicated that she was going to agree.

"Thanks, I have to go call my mom first though," Quinn said as she ducked her head and dug through her tote bag to pull out her cellphone.

Rachel simply nodded and watched as the blonde hopped off the edge of the bed and made her way out of Rachel's room while her fingers swiped across her touchscreen.

"That girl needs to get laid."

Rachel threw a poisonous glare at Santana hoped that Quinn hadn't heard the Latina's comment. Santana – unfazed as always – simply shrugged before picking the remote up and asking Brittany's permission to change the channel.

"I think Quinn's super nice," Brittany admitted cheerfully. Rachel smiled at the bubbly girl and had to admit that she agreed wholeheartedly.

"Oh please. Did you see how she looked at us when we got in here?" Santana asked with a snort.

"Well you were trying to stick your hand up my shirt, San." Brittany admonished.

"Yeah well, she looked at us like we had three heads." Santana grumbled as she flicked through six channels in rapid succession. Never give Santana the control of a TV or you would never be able to watch anything.

Rachel had learned that the hard way two years ago when the girls had their first sleepover. Santana had flicked through channels for almost a half hour and then settled on something that went off five minutes later. The process repeated itself for most of the night until Rachel and Brittany both managed to gang up on the Latina and wrestle the remote out of her grasp. The brunette twirled around in her desk chair while Brittany gently pried the remote from Santana's fingers. Quinn had been gone for almost five minutes and Rachel was getting worried. What if the girl had snuck out of the front door? Or what if her mom said she couldn't stay?

Her worries dissipated as Quinn drifted back into the room with a small smile on her face. That had to be a good sign, right?

"My mom said I could stay." Quinn murmured as she gave Rachel a bashful smile before plopping down on the bed again. This time she didn't sit on the very edge.

Yeah, definitely a good sign.

* * *

Quinn's mom had been downright shocked when the blonde had asked her if she could stay the night over a friend's house. Quinn couldn't really be offended since she had been shocked for a little while as well. Of course the blonde hadn't disclosed the fact that the friend she was actually staying with was Rachel Berry. Judy Fabray was a mere puppet and Russell Fabray was the puppeteer, but that didn't mean that Quinn didn't think of her mother as any less responsible for her parents' behavior. But sometimes a little part of Judy's kind heart would shine through so Quinn was still proud to call the woman her mother. Even though she had found her passed out from alcohol consumption on a number of occasions. That little part had shined through minutes ago, even though Quinn's lie about spending the night with some chastity club girls wasn't exactly convincing. It had always been difficult to lie to her mother. Plus Quinn didn't even _like_ most of the chastity club members so she'd never spend the night with a group of them.

But maybe God was somehow on her side because her mother had agreed and only had one golden rule; be home for Sunday dinner. Quinn doubted she'd stay the entire weekend, getting through the night would be more than a struggle. After Quinn had deposited her phone into her back pocket she took a few moments to look around the first level of Rachel's home. It was extremely cozy despite the size of it. The kitchen was modern, much like Quinn's own, but it wasn't unnecessarily sterile. There was a frying pan in the sink, something that Quinn would never see at her house. The house was quiet but Quinn had a hunch that it wasn't always like that. Plus it wasn't the suffocating silence that lingered over the Fabray household; Quinn had never thought a silence could be so comfortable. The blonde didn't want to be caught snooping so she slowly trudged back up the carpeted stairs and retraced her steps back to Rachel's bedroom.

Santana was pouting while Brittany searched the TV guide and Rachel was still seated in her desk chair. The brunette's chestnut brown eyes met hers almost immediately and a small smile flitted across Quinn's face without her permission.

"My mom said I could stay." The smile on Rachel's face was worth lying to her mother about her whereabouts.

Quinn sat back down on the bed, this time deciding not to teeter on the edge, and situated herself next to Brittany. She still made sure to keep a safe distance from Santana. The Latina was brooding and had an evil look in her eyes as she glowered unashamedly at the hesitant blonde. Quinn didn't even have the nerve to ask Santana why she disliked her so much. This led to even more befuddlement for the blonde. She could almost see why Rachel went out with Noah, the boy was semi attractive and was extremely talented (something that Quinn knew the small brunette loved). But why was Brittany – sweet and bubbly Brittany – messing around with Santana and condemning herself to a life of sin? Santana seemed cold, aloof, and completely menacing. She and Brittany were polar opposites yet they obviously had something going on. Maybe she could ask Rachel if they ever got another chance to talk privately.

"How are Britts and I supposed to get our mack on with Mary Sue here?" Santana directed her question towards Rachel, as if Quinn wasn't even in the freaking room.

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed and her hazel eyes narrowed as a deep scowl made its way onto her face. Now she remembered why she hated most Cheerios, the majority of them were extremely bitchy and had no manners. Rachel and Brittany didn't look all too pleased either but Quinn was the first to speak anyways.

"I don't care if you guys…do _that_. It doesn't faze me." Okay that wasn't the complete truth but it didn't faze Quinn in the way that Santana thought it would. Quinn had seen Brittany and Santana kiss one time in the hallway during a class change and she had expected to feel revulsion, maybe even anger. That was always her father's reaction when he talked of the Berry men or other people of the homosexual persuasion. But Quinn just felt hollow and she made her way to her next class without batting an eyelash. That should have been the first sign that something about Quinn Fabray was off.

Quinn's admission seemed to dissipate some of Santana's anger because the Latina just scoffed and rested her chin on one of Brittany's thighs.

* * *

The Berry men got home around seven and Quinn was wide eyed as she took in one of Rachel's dads. He was well over six feet tall, was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, and was black. Quinn immediately felt intimidated and subtly hid behind an oblivious Rachel. He introduced himself as Leroy and his own eyes widened when Quinn introduced herself as Quinn Fabray. Rachel's other dad – a shorter, kind faced guy who had Rachel's expressive brown eyes and hair color – seemed to bristle at the name but he pulled Quinn into a hug anyways. Their voices weren't obnoxiously high – on the contrary, Leroy Berry's voice was exceptionally deep – and they didn't dress in obscenely bright colors and didn't have rainbow face paint on. They looked normal, like every other dad in Lima. Quinn recalled how her father said that the Berry men were typical 'queers'. That was when Quinn realized that her father didn't know a got damn thing about the Berry's. He saw what he wanted to see, two gays and their daughter. Quinn didn't know how to come to grasps with her new realizations but she did manage to get through a vegan friendly dinner.

And then another odd thing came to her. The Berry's actually talked at the dinner table. The Berry men were actually _interested_ in what Rachel and her friends did at school and how Cheerios was going. All meals in the Fabray house were spent in tense silence. There was always the occasional criticism of Quinn's mom's food from her father though. So Quinn stared owlishly as Leroy complimented his husband on a fantastic meal and even helped Hiram with the dishes afterwards. Now the four girls were back in Rachel's room and the Berry men had retired to their bedroom twenty minutes ago. Apparently they only had three rules. No breaking into the liquor cabinet, no pay-per-view porn, and no eating Hiram's butter pecan ice cream that was stashed in the back of the freezer. Quinn had flushed a deep red at the porn one but the way Santana and Rachel were snickering made her assume that there was a good reason that rule was in place.

Leroy had inflated the air mattress and placed it a few feet to the left of Rachel's humongous bed. Apparently Brittany loved the idea of 'sleeping on air' so she and Santana usually called dibs on the inflatable mattress. That left Quinn and Rachel sitting cross legged on Rachel's bed with Quinn keeping her eyes trained on the video game that Santana and Rachel were playing. Quinn had showered right after dinner and had borrowed a spare set of Santana's pajamas. Apparently she and Brittany had their own little drawer in Rachel's closet because they slept over at least two to three times every week. Santana was a few inches shorter than Quinn but she was taller than Rachel and Brittany was way too tall for anything of hers to fit the blonde. So Quinn was forced to wear a pair of cotton shorts – which showed off way too much leg – and a shirt that had a picture of Daffy Duck on it.

Although Quinn had never been to a sleepover before, she had seen plenty of movies and TV shows to know that they did not usually involve Call of Duty. It was obvious that it was a normal occurrence among the Cheerios though. Quinn watched with wide eyes as Rachel and Santana – both apparently on the same team – maneuvered through the game effortlessly. They both had huge headsets on and Quinn wondered who they were playing. Her question was answered when Santana yelled in Spanish and then switched over to English.

"Hudson you're a fucking cheater!" Santana's tone was shrill as she tapped rapidly on her controller.

Quinn's mouth dropped as she watched Santana's little army guy get blown away and reset while Rachel's little army guy was left to fend for himself.

"And you too Puckerman! Remind me to kick your ass on Monday." Santana said before switching back over to Spanish and moving her army guy back towards where Rachel's guy was stationed.

"You guys are playing Finn and Puck?" Quinn asked Rachel in a hushed tone.

Rachel was distracted but gave a small nod as she threw a grenade and a large explosion sounded from the TV. Rachel's surround sound was absolutely ridiculous. The game ended abruptly when Santana threw off her headset and stormed out of the room after Puck blinded both her and Rachel with a well-placed smoke grenade and Finn snuck up and shot them both down. Rachel was much more graceful about the loss and even congratulated the boys through her headset before taking it off and shutting down her Xbox. Quinn was still bemused about the whole thing. Didn't Rachel hate both Puck _and_ Finn? She knew why Rachel hated Puck but she was still a little hazy on the dislike for Finn. Shouldn't those guys be the last two people that Rachel would play video games with?

"Even though I don't really like them they're both amazing COD players and Santana and I like to be challenged." Rachel said as she wrapped up the headsets and placed them on her desk.

Brittany had bounced out of the room to go search for Santana and Quinn didn't think they'd be back any time soon. Rachel didn't seem to think so either because she took the remote off of the air mattress and tossed it to Quinn.

"I guess they knock you guys down a few pegs sometimes, huh?" Quinn questioned as she flicked through the TV guide before settling on an episode of _That 70's Show_. Rachel snorted before shrugging her shoulders and sliding back onto the bed.

"We'll get 'em next time." Rachel sounded so confident about her words that Quinn actually believed her. Another thing that Quinn had not pegged the brunette as was an avid gamer.

Ten minutes crept past and Santana and Brittany still hadn't returned.

"So Brittany and Santana are together?" Quinn's question caught Rachel off guard and the brunette spluttered before nodding her head.

"Wow, what gave it away?" Rachel chuckled at Quinn's pink blush before shaking her head and leaning back onto her assortment of pillows. "But yes, Brittany and Santana are in a relationship. Why do you ask?"

Quinn ducked her head and tucked her lower lip between her teeth as she tapped her chin with her index finger. She didn't know how to make her question sound any less harsh so she just threw caution to the wind. "But…why?"

Rachel let out a genuine laugh, her head tilting back and her giggles bouncing around the room. It was possibly the most enchanting thing Quinn had ever heard.

"Well they love each other and apparently the sex isn't too bad either." Rachel answered after she sobered.

"But isn't Santana a bit, uhm…" Quinn trailed off as Rachel's brown eyes twinkled in amusement.

"A bitch?" Rachel finished for her. Quinn nodded as her blush deepened. Rachel thought about it for a few moments before letting out another laugh.

"She is, actually. The biggest one I know and she's proud of it. But that's towards you and me and the rest of the world's population, but it's not there for Brittany. It might sound extremely cheesy but Brittany is Santana's only exception." Rachel hummed as she adjusted her pillows to rest her neck better.

Quinn mulled over Rachel's words, seeing the truth behind them after a few moments of contemplation. She would have to watch closer to see if there really was a change in Santana's behavior when it came to interacting with Brittany.

"Your mom doesn't actually know where you are, does she?" Rachel's voice pulled Quinn out of her thoughts and the blonde was momentarily befuddled before shaking her head.

"She thinks I'm at a chastity club sleepover," Quinn admitted as she played with a loose thread attached to Rachel's blanket.

"Would it be so bad if she knew you were actually here?" Rachel asked softly. Hazel eyes glanced to the left and met Rachel's gaze while a sad smile spread across Quinn's face.

"Yeah, your last name is kind of infamous at my house." Quinn didn't see a reason to lie. Rachel had to have some clue of what overly conservative religious men such as Russell Fabray thought about her fathers.

Rachel was quiet after that and Quinn didn't bother salvaging the conversation.

* * *

The next morning, after a breakfast of vegan friendly French toast and a fruit salad, Quinn was summoned home by her mother. Apparently the woman needed grocery shopping assistance and she was sorry for cutting Quinn's weekend with the 'chastity club' short. Rachel offered to drive the girl home since Brittany and Santana were busy watching a Lifetime movie and were still in their pajamas. Quinn accepted and gave Rachel directions to the Fabray estate. The brunette made sure that she parked across the street so that no one would know that it was her who was dropping Quinn off. It was awkward as Rachel turned the ignition off and turned her body so that she was facing Quinn.

"Thanks for having me over last night," Quinn said as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"I'm just glad you decided to stay." Rachel admitted with a bashful shrug. The silence stretched on and then Quinn sighed, unbuckled her seatbelt, and reached into the backseat to retrieve her tote bag. Just as the blonde was about to open the passenger door, Rachel leaned over the center console and pulled Quinn into a tight hug.

The blonde let out a surprised squeak but didn't pull away from the hug. She didn't exactly reciprocate but it was enough to make Rachel feel fuzzy. Quinn had showered the night before and had had to use Rachel's shampoo. The smell of coconut was almost intoxicating.

"Bye Quinn, see you on Monday." Rachel said with a breathtaking smile on her face.

Quinn nodded dumbly before practically falling out of the car while Rachel giggled and watched her fumble with her bag. Quinn closed the car door and gave an extremely dorky wave before turning around and jogging to her front door. Rachel started her car but didn't pull off until she saw that Quinn had gotten safely inside her house.

* * *

"Berry I thought you had _But I'm A Cheerleader_," Santana said as she looked through Rachel's DVD rack later that night.

Rachel was sitting cross legged on her bed with her MacBook propped up on her lap. Brittany was sitting behind her and was attempting to braid her hair.

"I do, look harder." Rachel said absently as she browsed through her Facebookwall. She stopped scrolling when she saw a new friend request popped up.

She almost squealed when she saw that it was from Quinn and immediately clicked the accept button. The fact that Quinn Fabray would have a _Facebook_ hadn't even crossed Rachel's mind. The brunette was in the midst of scrolling through Quinn's profile when she heard Santana grumbling and murmuring in Spanish.

"It's not here! Do you think your dads took it?" Santana was basically pouting.

Rachel rolled her eyes and put her laptop down before slipping off the bed – much to Brittany's resentment – and crouching down next to Santana.

"What would my fathers want with a lesbian romance movie?" Rachel asked in exasperation as she skimmed the titles of her numerous DVD cases. There was a small gap between _Grease_ and _Casablanca_, right where Rachel knew _But I'm A Cheerleader_ should be.

"See! Told you it wasn't here." Santana said smugly while Rachel stared at the empty spot.

"Huh." Rachel grunted as her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes widened almost immediately as she snapped back to yesterday, right before she had taken her shower. Quinn had had _But I'm A Cheerleader_ in her hands, Rachel had even given her a short summary about it.

"I'm sure it'll pop up sometime," Rachel said softly as a small smirk spread across her face.

She would have to ask Quinn about her opinion on the movie at school on Monday.

* * *

**A/N: **_This one took a little longer than usual to get out because I was too busy to go over it and fix errors but I hope it was worth the short wait. Let me know what you think! xx_


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